Foreshortened convolute section for a pressurized suit



Nov. 3, 1970 MARRONl, JR 3,537,107

FORESHORTENED CONVOLUTE SECTION FOR A PRESSURIZED SUIT Filed Dec. 20, 1968 w M. l L J mM w 4 L Fwy mm r; MN Wa/ F Q1. Z M

FIC5-2 United States Patent 01 fice 3,537,107 Patented Nov. 3, 1970 3,537,107 FORESHORTENED CONVOLUTE SECTION FOR A PRESSURIZED SUIT Michael A. Marroni, Jr., Weatogue, Conn., assignor, by

mesne assignments, to the United States of America as represented by the Administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration Filed Dec. 20, 1968, Ser. No. 785,710 Int. Cl. A62b 17/00 US. Cl. 2-2.1 2 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE In a first embodiment, root cords are laid on an appropriately shaped piece of flat cloth, and each cord is zigzag stitched to the cloth. Thereafter, a piece of restraint tape stitched to the cloth over the root cords along the middle thereof, the restraint tape being perpendicular to the root cords. As the stitching of the restraint tape proceeds, the cloth, together with the root cords, are bunched underneath the restraint tape so as to foreshorten the entire piece by a desired amount. Thereafter, the piece is bent into a generally cylindrical shape and appropriate edges of the cloth are sewn together. The ends of the root cords are then fitted through appropriately positioned holes in a second restraint tape, and a plastic tube is laid along the seam with the restraint tape over it. Then the second restraint tape is sewn to the seam with bunching of material occurring as the sewing proceeds so as to foreshorten the seam in the same fashion vas the midsection was foreshortened. The cords may then be drawn up somewhat and tied so as to form convolutes in the completed assembly.

In the second embodiment, a generally cylindrically shaped piece of restraint cloth has pre-sized root cords or rings.

The invention described herein was made in the performance of work under a NASA contract and is subject to the provisions of Section 305 of the National Aeronautics and Space Act of 1958, Public Law 85-568 (72 Stat. 435; 42 U.S.C. 2457).

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Field of invention This invention relates to pressurized suits such as the type used in high altitude aviation and space exploration, and more particularly to a foreshortened convolute section and methods of making the same.

Description of the prior art In the art of pressurized suits, formation of convolutes utilizing restraint cloth with suitably disposed restraining root cords or rings is known. In accordance with the teachings of the art heretofore, such convolutes were made by having cords or rings of a pre-established diameter inserted over the cloth in which the convolutes are to be formed. Thereafter, with the application of pressure, the convoluted shape would be assumed.

Such sections are useful as convolute sections for portions of a space suit which do not undergo acute flexion, but merely require a small amount of rotation or minor flexion. Such sections may, for instance, be used in the thigh. On the other hand, convolute sections known to the prior art are not useful for portions of the suit such as knees and elbows which require vastly difierent amounts of cloth along one dimension when the joint is flexed in contrast with the amount of cloth which is required when the joint is in the unflexed condition. In an attempt to overcome this, various solutions have been tried. One such solution is a formation of a convoluted section in which convolutions occur in one direction, but not in the transverse direction. For instance, with such a convolute section, the front and rear of the knee would be convoluted, but the sides of the knee would be substantially fiat. However, this type of convolute section can be formed only of moldable materials, such as rubber and the like, and cannot be fashioned of cloth in accordance with the present teachings of the art. Furthermore, such sections are relatively stiff when under pressure, and do not provide the required degree of flexure and ease of flexure in order to permit maximal mobility with a minimum amount of fatigue as required in the utilization of pressurized suits.

SUMMARY OF INVENTION The object of the present invention is to provide an improved convolute section for a pressurized suit, such section being capable of a high degree of mobility including acute flexure, in response to a minimum of applied torque.

According to the present invention, a cloth convolute section is provided With extra material so as to accommodate large angles of flexure by foreshortening of the section by means of lateral restraints disposed on each side, the cloth to which the lateral restraints are aflixed being puckered in order to foreshorten the assembly.

The present invention not only provides a cloth convolute section capable of a high degree of flexion as a result of relatively low torque, but it is capable of manufacture in accordance with an extremely simple method,

and is capable of incorporating improved pressurized suit BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING FIG. 1 is a side elevation of a flat piece of restraint cloth having root cords disposed thereon as a result of the first steps of manufacture of a foreshortened convolute in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a side elevation of the embodiment of the invention shown in FIG. 1 after an additional step of foreshortening the convolute assembly with a restraint tape;

FIG. 3 is a front perspective view of the embodiment of the invention shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 after being joined so as to assume a generally cylindrical shape;

FIG. 4 is a side elevation of the embodiment of the invention as illustrated in FIGS. 1-3 after the cylinderforming seam is foreshortened by being stitched with a restraint tape;

FIG. 5 is a section taken on the line 5-5 of FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is a perspective of a basic cloth section of a second embodiment of the invention;

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Referring now to FIGS. 1-5, one embodiment of the invention utilizes a piece of flat cloth 10, which may be rectangular if a cylindrical convolute section is desired, or may be slightly rhombic as shown in FIG. 1 in order to provide a somewhat tapered tubular section. As a first step in the preparation of a convolute section in accordance with the present invention, a plurality of root cords 12 are stitched to the restraint cloth by zigzag stitches 14 which are sufliciently loose to enable sliding of the cords 12 beneath the stitches 14, as is described more fully hereinafter. In FIG. 2, .a restraint tape has been placed along the center of the cloth 10 over the cords and stitches 12, 14 and substantially parallel to the edges 18, 19 of the cloth 10. The restraint tape 16 has been sewed to the cloth 10 as portions 17 of cloth 10 are puckered under it, so as to more or less uniformly foreshorten the cloth 10 underneath the restraint tape 16, while securing the tape 16 to the puckered cloth 17. Thus, if the cloth 10 were initially ten inches long, it may, for instance, become seven inches long as a result of puckering under the stitching of the restraint tape 16. The next step is illustrated in FIG. 3; the cloth 10 has been closed upon itself so as to form a cylinder, the edges 18 and 19 (FIG. 2) have been joined at a seam 20 (FIG. 3) so as to form a generally cylindrical or tubular tapered section which is, however, skewed due to the fact that the side underneath the restraint tape 16 has been foreshortened, whereas the side along the seam 20 has not been foreshortened.

In FIG. 4, an additional restraint tape 22 has been sewn over the seam 20 so as to foreshorten the assembly along the seam 20. In this case, the restraint tape 22,is provided with a plurality of holes 24, one for each of the root cords 12. In a restraint tape made of woven nylon, or other plastic-like material, the holes 24 are conveniently formed, by burning, such as with a soldering iron; this not only is an easy way to form a hole, but fuses the edges of the hole so as to prevent ravelling of the cloth. In the process of securing the restraint tape 22 to the convolute assembly, the root cords 12 are fed through appropriate holes, and then a tube of polyfluorocarbon (such as that sold under the trade name Teflon) or other suitable plastic tube 26 may be positioned along the seam 20 as shown more clearly in FIG. 5. Thereafter, the

restraint tape 22 can be sewn (21) to the seam 20 thus capturing the tube 26. Note that the seam 21 along the restraint tape 22 is intermittant, so that the root cords 12 are not stitched'down as a result of stitching therestraint tape 22 to the seam 20. This permits the cords 12 to be drawn up tightly, sliding underneath the portions of the restraint tape 22 andsliding within the zig-zag stitching 14.' To. complete the convolute assembly utilizing the method outline with respect to FIGS. 1-5 herein, each of the root cords may be drawn until it is the proper length, and a square knot tied therein. The tubing 26 is disposed underneath the restraint tape 22 in order to permit sliding a restraint cable, which'may comprise plastiecoated stainless steel or other suitable material, through the tube26. This cable may terminate at opposite ends of the convolute assembly in accordance herewith,

or maybe part of a longer restraint system that terminates remotely [from the convolute assembly in accordance'herewith, as necessary to suit any utilization of the orrings of a lesser circumference than that of the cylindrical cloth 30 may be slipped over the cloth 30 so as to form convolutes 34 in the cloth 30. Thereafter, the convolute section illustrated in FIG. 7 may have a pair of mutually parallel restraint tapes 36 (FIG. 8) sewn on opposite sides thereof concurrently with puckering of. the cloth so as to foreshorten the section as illustrated in FIG. 8. In this embodiment,. the foreshortening of both sides may preferably be performed after the cloth is formed into a generally cylindrical section and the root cords applied, as illustrated in FIGS. 68.

The result of the present invention is to provide convolutes which are much deeper (that is, with the root be ing of a significantly lesser diameter than the outer diameter of the section) than is obtainable with prior art convolute sections. Suflicient material is thereby provided so that when the convolute assembly is flexed (such as bending the top to the right or left in FIG. 4 or 8) the degree of flexure will not be limited by the ultimate amount of available cloth along the long side of the bend. As an example, in the case of a knee or an elbow, when the joint is flexed, a large amount of cloth is required at the outside of the bend. This cloth on the other hand must be provided from a convolute section which is not too long for the other design criteria when in the unflexed condition. A foreshortened convolute section in accordance with the present invention thus accommodates a general length of convolute section and sufficient material for acute fiexure.

Although the invention has been shown and described with respect to a pair of preferred embodiments thereof, it should be understood by those skilled in the art that the general shape (cylindrical or tapered) of the convolute section made in accordance herewith, the size of the section, or the precise method of manufacture of the section are not germane to the present invention. Also, it should be understood that other changes and omissions in the form and detail thereof may be made therein without departing from the spirit and the scope of the invention.

Having thus described typical embodiments of my invention, that which I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. In the method of manufacturing a cloth convolute section capable of flexure through large angles, the steps of:

disposing a plurality of root cords on a cloth;

positioning a first restraint tape adjacent to said cloth substantially perpendicularly with respect to said root cords;

simultaneously stitching said first restraint tape to said cloth and bunching said cloth underneath said stitching so as to foreshorten the cloth in its dimension parallel with said restraint tape;

joining together the two'edges of said cloth which are parallel with said first restraint tape so as to form said cloth into a generally cylindrical section;

positioning a second restraint tape adjacent to said cloth substantially parallel with respect to said first restraint tape, and substantially diametrically opposite to said first restraint tape; and

simultaneously stitching said second restraint tape to said cloth and bunching said cloth underneath said stitching so as to foreshorten the cloth in its dimension parallel with said second restraining tape.

2. A foreshortened cloth convolute section for a pres-' and means securing the puckered portions of said cloth member to said restraining members to shorten said generally cylindrical cloth member in a direction 5 parallel to the axis thereof, thereby forming the foreshortened cloth convolute section.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,391,282 12/1945 Van Orman 2-2.1 2,392,992 1/ 1946 Martin 2-2.1 2,939,148 6/1960 Hart et a1. 2-2.1

6 2,967,305 1/1961 White et a1. 2-2.1 2,989,324 6/1961 OHalloran 2-2.1 XR 3,411,157 11/1968 Rabenhorst 2-2.1

JORDAN FRANKLIN, Primary Examiner G. H. KRIZMANICH, Assistant Examiner US. Cl. X.R. 28 5-235 

